Background

Several years ago, ISPOR convened an ad hoc advisory body of healthcare decision makers to provide strategies to ISPOR on bridging the gap between outcomes research and healthcare decisions (Healthcare Strategy Council). Key issues identified by this advisory body were education/training, health policy/market force, methods/standards, information availability/access/sharing/applicability, and credibility/integrity/bias. ISPOR has implemented many educational programs and addresses methods/standards and credibility/integrity/bias through its Good Practices for Outcomes Research. However, information availability/applicability/access/sharing were issues which could best be addressed by professionals who use outcomes research information to develop evidence to inform healthcare decision makers. Since health technology assessment (HTA) informs many healthcare decision makers - regulatory agencies, healthcare payers, clinicians, hospitals, clinics, health authorities, and patient groups, the ISPOR Health Technology Assessment Roundtables in Europe and North America and networks in Latin America and Asia were formed.

Mission

The mission of the ISPOR Health Technology Assessment Council is to:

Provide a platform for regional ISPOR HTA Roundtables to share issues and recommendations

Provide guidance in the translation and use of outcomes studies as useful information in the health technology assessment and healthcare decision-making processes.

Address issues and concerns of decision makers globally.

Assist in the development and implementation of initiatives related to use of outcomes research information by healthcare decision makers.